Studying bicyclists' perceived level of safety using a bicycle simulator combined with immersive virtual reality

M Nazemi; M A B van Eggermond; A Erath; D Schaffner; M Joos; Kay W Axhausen

doi:10.1016/j.aap.2020.105943

Studying bicyclists' perceived level of safety using a bicycle simulator combined with immersive virtual reality

Accid Anal Prev. 2021 Mar:151:105943. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2020.105943. Epub 2020 Dec 25.

Authors

M Nazemi¹, M A B van Eggermond², A Erath³, D Schaffner⁴, M Joos⁵, Kay W Axhausen⁶

Affiliations

¹ ETH Zurich, Future Cities Laboratory, Singapore-ETH Centre, 1 CREATE Way, CREATE Tower, 138602, Singapore. Electronic address: nazemi@ivt.baug.ethz.ch.
² School of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geomatics, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), Hofackerstrasse 30, Muttenz, CH-4132, Switzerland. Electronic address: michael.vaneggermond@fhnw.ch.
³ School of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geomatics, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), Hofackerstrasse 30, Muttenz, CH-4132, Switzerland. Electronic address: alexander.erath@fhnw.ch.
⁴ School of Applied Psychology, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Riggenbachstrasse 16, Olten, CH-4600, Switzerland. Electronic address: dorothea.schaffner@fhnw.ch.
⁵ ETH Zurich, Future Cities Laboratory, Singapore-ETH Centre, 1 CREATE Way, CREATE Tower, 138602, Singapore. Electronic address: joos@arch.ethz.ch.
⁶ Institute of Transport Planning and Transport Systems, ETH Zurich, Stefano-Franscini-Square 5, Zurich, 8093, Switzerland. Electronic address: axhausen@ivt.baug.ethz.ch.

PMID: 33370601
DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2020.105943

Abstract

There is a need for methods that provide a better understanding of bicyclists' perceived safety and preferences on currently unavailable and/or unknown bicycle facilities. Different survey methods have been used to study bicyclists' behavior, experiences, and preferences; ranging from verbally described facilities to surveys including images and videos. Virtual Reality (VR) experiments blur the boundaries between stated preference (SP) surveys and revealed preference (RP) surveys and provide a realistic sense of design. This research introduces a novel research method in bicycling research and discusses the results of an experiment using a bicycle simulator combined with immersive VR. In total, 150 participants participated in this experiment and were asked about demographics and perceptions and preferences after bicycling in five different environments with an instrumented bicycle in VR. A 5 × 2 mixed design was used with bicycling environment as within-subject factor and pedestrian / traffic volume as between-subject factor. ANOVA tests revealed how each environment and ambient pedestrian / traffic volume affected perceived level of safety (PLOS) and willingness to bicycle (WTB). Pairwise comparison showed that participants felt safer bicycling on the segregated bicycle path compared to bicycling on the painted bicycle path on the road and roadside. There was no meaningful difference between WTB for less than 10 min and WTB for more than 10 min between bicycling on a painted bicycle path on the sidewalk and painted bicycle path on the road. PLOS and WTB ratings of men and women were not significantly different from each other. The older segment of the sample was more worried about roadside bicycling and bicycle commuters were more confident to ride on the roadside. Despite having several limitations, immersive 360-degree VR was found a powerful presentation tool to evaluate future street designs which can inform transport and urban planning.

Keywords: Bicycle simulator; Bicycle survey methods; Bicycling perceived level of safety; Virtual reality experiment; Willingness to bicycle.

MeSH terms

Accidents, Traffic / prevention & control
Bicycling*
Female
Humans
Male
Safety
Surveys and Questionnaires
Virtual Reality*